How did you get on?

[nottskev]

Another low-scoring game, but better than the last time out. The forecast was encouraging - 10c+ and a light southerly wind, but the temperature never got near that and the swirly breeze was easterly and in my face. The heated waistcoat was on from the minute I stepped out of the car. With the river down to near normal level and clearing, I wasn't expecting easy fishing, but I like the roach fishing here and if you're happy to keep changing this, that and the other you can usually get a few bites.

I didn't get off to a great start. As I threw the keepnet in, I had a feeling I'd thrown something else in with it. Yes. A small Drennan landing net head, into 9' of water. Luckily, out of frustration with the pike here, I'd brought a rod rigged with a rudimentary set-up of a size 2/0 single hook and dredged it out with this

I commenced my usual two swims approach, light slider, maggots in for the perch and hemp, caster and tares out for the roach. No sign of any perch and no sign of any roach, either. It helped to relieve the boredom when two young fellows with lure gear came along and asked would I mind if they fished either side of me. They'd come down from Stockport (that's about 80m from here) knew the fishing around Manchester well, and were surprised I knew a bit too, having lived there for 5 years. They were fishing soft plastics, and I learned a few things about that before they set off for their next port of call, one lad having caught a jack of 5 or 6lb on a rubber crayfish.

At around 12.30, it got a bit warmer and I started to get bites from decent roach on either caster or tares

And there followed a bit of a cat and mouse game with the roach for the next two hours. The perch didn't put in an appearance, but I've had worse days in December

 

[chevin4]

My friend texted me and he was free for a days fishing last week . Knowing Leon he would want a day's pike fishing. Having used up my quota of guest tickets for my syndicate lake we elected to fish a club lake which is a decent doubles water. As we were travelling Leon remembered he had left his tripod behind which is a hassle as some of the swims are hard standing. We arrived to a cold grey dawn but at least the cold drizzle had stopped. We found a nice area which was sheltered from the cold NE wind. We finished up with two pike a piece Leon took the honours of catching the best fish of the day at 9lb 4oz. Alan (Whitty) turned up later in the morning We had a nice chat before he went on his way and chose a nice looking swim where he had his sliding float working a threat. All in all it was an enjoyable day in good company although the pike could have been bigger.

 

[Ray Roberts]

A disaster of a day. I was going lure fishing, but hadn’t made my mind up on the venue. It was going to be Hever Castle or the Rother in Kent. The club parking can be a
bit soft at Hever, but there is hard standing next to my club’s length of the Rother. Rother it was then, even though it’s a 130 mile round trip. The river looked quite coloured despite it being very low, they must have been dropping it down to the winter level as it was initially flowing quite hard.

The river is quite featureless with only a few scrubby bushes. My cunning plan was to use two separate outfits a jerk bait outfit and a lighter one for smaller lures

For the first hundred yards or so all was fine. There is a disused gateway where the farmer has churned the mud up with a tractor. In trying to avoid this quagmire I moved towards what looked to be solid ground next to the river, but sunk into the mud, which had a jellylike consistency. Think that I was fortunate in a way as I believe that section of bank was ready to collapse into the water, as it has in various other places. I was stuck fast and in trying to get out fell face down in the mud. I managed to get out but both myself and my gear were absolutely covered in mud.

I washed the reels in a nearby puddle but the lighter one stopped working the level wind was jammed fast Tatula’s have a complicated level wind and are not the sort of thing to try to fix on the bank. I persevered with the Tranx which survived but both reels will need fully servicing. Sport was slow but I ended up with five pike, but of small size.

I was so cheesed off when I returned home that I left the whole caboodle in the car to sort on the morning.

 

[Steve Arnold]

I blanked last week, first time for a little while! Although the weather is quite good the nights have been cold, below freezing, and I wondered if that would be the barbel fishing finished. There is snow high on the Massif and that feeds the Truyer and then into the Lot, this river runs very cold in the winter and the fishing can completely switch off.

But it was sunny this afternoon and I rang Alistair to see if he fancied fishing locally, we were down the river and fishing by 1pm...

I had a barbel within minutes. Then Alistair had one a little smaller, looked like being a good afternoon!

But no more bites for 2 hours, so I tried a smaller bait covered with paste, that got a 5.5lb barbel....

The sun dropped behind the cliff opposite, it was suddenly winter again. We stuck it for an hour but the fish were not feeding, maybe that sun had helped their appetite?

So there was pintade soup I had made in the morning waiting at home. Decision made to look after our comfort rather than feed the fishes!

 

[mikench]

A disaster of a day. I was going lure fishing, but hadn’t made my mind up on the venue. It was going to be Hever Castle or the Rother in Kent. The club parking can be a
bit soft at Hever, but there is hard standing next to my club’s length of the Rother. Rother it was then, even though it’s a 130 mile round trip. The river looked quite coloured despite it being very low, they must have been dropping it down to the winter level as it was initially flowing quite hard.

View attachment 32538

The river is quite featureless with only a few scrubby bushes. My cunning plan was to use two separate outfits a jerk bait outfit and a lighter one for smaller lures

View attachment 32539

For the first hundred yards or so all was fine. There is a disused gateway where the farmer has churned the mud up with a tractor. In trying to avoid this quagmire I moved towards what looked to be solid ground next to the river, but sunk into the mud, which had a jellylike consistency. Think that I was fortunate in a way as I believe that section of bank was ready to collapse into the water, as it has in various other places. I was stuck fast and in trying to get out fell face down in the mud. I managed to get out but both myself and my gear were absolutely covered in mud.

View attachment 32541


View attachment 32542

I washed the reels in a nearby puddle but the lighter one stopped working the level wind was jammed fast Tatula’s have a complicated level wind and are not the sort of thing to try to fix on the bank. I persevered with the Tranx which survived but both reels will need fully servicing. Sport was slow but I ended up with five pike, but of small size.

View attachment 32544

I was so cheesed off when I returned home that I left the whole caboodle in the car to sort on the morning.

A full facial selfie would have been useful Ray.. Sounds like a day to forget but at least , unlike me, you made the effort.

 

[Ray Roberts]

A full facial selfie would have been useful Ray.. Sounds like a day to forget but at least , unlike me, you made the effort.

That’s not a phrase you ever want to google.

 

[chevin4]

It was a last minute change of plan yesterday. I had originally decided to pike fish my syndicate lake near Milton Keynes. However with gusts of near 50mph forcast it would have been difficult fishing as the lake in question is very open and offers little shelter. I decided instead to fish a Cambridgeshire lake which was featured in a Go fishing programme many years ago. I was able to find a sheltered bay from the wind an area where decent pike have been caught in the past. I fished two rods a ledgered Mackerel tail was cast near an island and the second rod was a float set up with eel section as bait. By midday the wind had dropped and the conditions were pleasant. However Mr Esox didn't put in an appearance. As I was packing up another member turned up he witnessed pike slaming into the rudd shoals on the far side of the lake adjacent to an island. That is where I will be heading when conditions are more favourable. Given the mild conditions yesterday I was disappointed not to catch but that is fishing.

 

[flightliner]

I had a short day on the Don yesturday but sadly it was thundering thro, my wife wears hearing aids so we have the tv on a loader volume than normal so we never heard the heavy rain the previous night. It forced me to try any slack water I could find which totald two swims.
I tried both for an hour and a half but it prooved to be useless.
I did look further downstream below a bridge, well down, much further than usual without any success so i reluctantly decided to pack my tackle away and leave for home.
It was sad as I'd really been looking forward to the trip but I still enjoyed my time beside the river!

 

[wetthrough]

It has been a few weeks since I last fished. After a few very good but short barbel sessions I went down with a bad cold, which then turned into a bacterial sinus infection needing antibiotics. Today I was at the end of those drugs and feeling fractionally better, but a looong way from fit!

As the forecast was good for the afternoon I went fishing, but the river is racing after recent rains. My first choice swim was occupied by two (in)famous celebrity anglers..... with about 20 crew, hangers on etc. Anyone recognise them?

View attachment 31814

Maybe their researcher has seen my posts!

Seems a Lot session is being shown Christmas Eve.

 

[@Clive]

Wilf couldn't come today as he was going to his Urologist to have his photo taken. He said that the thought of the camera didn't bother him, but he hoped that they wouldn't need a tripod.

Anyway, I couldn't decide where to go. It was -2C overnight and the tailgate was frozen up. The steering felt 'light' on the north facing slopes and I nearly turned back. But, in the end I ended up going downhill to the River Charente rather than uphill to the Haute-Charente lakes. The main river was pulling through faster than usual. Although it has many qualities of a chalk stream it starts out as a meadowland river so is susceptible to floodwater. I went to a new swim to me on one of the canals that allow boats to avoid weirs using locks. This canal is one of the longest on the river and historically was where cork was unloaded from barges for the wine and Cognac industry.

I had groundbait, red maggots, casters from the freezer and fresh worms. Starting with a sarkandas waggler in 14 foot of water I searched for roach in vain. The flow was slow and evenly paced, but the roach were absent. I changed to feeder while I had lunch and mid Gateau Basque I had a bite that I didn't respond to. Several minutes later, after the crumbs had been shaken off my trousers I discovered a small chub on the hook waiting for me. An hour or so later I changed from maggot to worm and had two bites in two casts, both connected.

It went dead after that for an hour or so then I lost two good fish. The first was my fault for striking too soon. I had forgotten that I had worm on. The other was a sulking brute that I could do nothing with and but snagged the hook link in the bank under my feet. I had tried using braid straight through on the feeder rod. However in the first five casts three ended up with the braid wrapping around the quiver tip mid-cast. I had to cast underhand because of the trees, that might have beeen the reason, but it was a nuisance so I swapped spools back to 6lb mono'.

I have a feeling that this might be a very productive swim in winter so I shall return to it soon.

 

[Alan Whitty]

Well since my last trip on the 12th December I've been rough, pains in my lower and upper stomach, back, shoulders etc, I had it in my mind to go today, woke with it lashing down and my aches and pains returned, so no fishing for me before Christmas I think....

 

[Butcherboy]

Well since my last trip on the 12th December I've been rough, pains in my lower and upper stomach, back, shoulders etc, I had it in my mind to go together, woke with it lashing down and my aches and pains returned, so no fishing for me before Christmas I think....

Best advice from someone who is regularly poorly, retail therapy. Your worth it

 

[chevin4]

Well since my last trip on the 12th December I've been rough, pains in my lower and upper stomach, back, shoulders etc, I had it in my mind to go today, woke with it lashing down and my aches and pains returned, so no fishing for me before Christmas I think....

Stay strong Alan hope see you on the bank soon